The medical team checked us over, handing out more water and protein bars, which I devoured without shame. My stomach seemed like a bottomless pit after all the sparring.

Warrior Nickolas gave us a rundown for tomorrow, though it was vague at best. "You did well today," he said, as if that meant anything. We had to be back at 10 a.m., and that was the only concrete information we got.

“When are they going to announce cuts?” Jeff muttered, rubbing his swollen nose.

“Probably tomorrow,” Wyatt guessed, glancing around suspiciously.

“Or maybe anyone who didn’t make it to the capture-the-flag round is already cut,” I added, stretching my arms overhead. “Not sure if it’s a skill thing or just eliminating those who got injured.” My muscles ached, but I couldn’t focus on that now. “Right now, I need food before I pass out.”

With a wave, I turned to find my guys, and there they were, walking toward me—grinning like idiots.

I sprinted straight at Leo and jumped into his arms.

“You were incredible, Shorty,” he laughed, swinging me in a circle. “I can’t believe you just did all that.”

When he set me down, Devin was next, giggling as he crushed me in a hug.

“Of course you got Capture the Flag,” Devin snorted. “And that jump? Legendary.”

“And the old ‘flag-in-the-bra’ trick,” Ethan teased, his arms already open for a hug. “You’ve gotta change it up next time, though. People are going to start checking under your clothes.”

I laughed, hugging Ethan around the neck. He leaned close and whispered, “And just so you know... I won’t be letting anyone else get that close.”

Blushing fiercely, I quickly moved on, stepping between the twins with a wide grin.

“I need food. Then I need sleep,” I told them. “It took me way too long to figure out how to sleep comfortably last night.”

Aaron smiled down at me. “Whatever you want, Tiny.”

“Mom’s waiting for us,” Ryan added, holding out his hand. Without hesitation, I took it.

“She’s probably going to fuss over you for at least a little while,” Aaron said, sliding his hand onto the small of my back as we walked.

“Need another piggy-back ride, Bite Size?” Ethan teased from behind me. “You took some good hits out there.”

“I’m fine,” I assured him. “Not fragile—just tired. Walking will help my muscles cool down anyway. But tomorrow is probably going to suck just as much.”

They all laughed, but no one argued.

We made it back to the pack house, where Luna Ava greeted us at the door. She walked straight to me, cupping my face in both hands.

“That was harder to watch than I expected,” she murmured. “I’ve seen you fight, Selene, and I know how good you are. But it’s different when you’re with the boys—when I know they won’t really hurt you. And now you’re going to do it all over again tomorrow.” She sighed, her eyes soft with concern.

Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around her and let her hold me. Her embrace was warm and comforting—the kind of hug that tells you without words that everything will be okay.

Even though I knew she hated seeing me push myself this hard, she wouldn’t stop me. She knew how much I wanted this and supported me, even when it scared her.

“I need a shower,” I mumbled into her shoulder.

She smiled, pulling back. “Do you want dinner down here, or would you prefer to eat upstairs?”

“Upstairs, if that’s okay? I don’t want to be rude, not with the Alpha King here.”

“Of course, sweet girl,” she said gently. “He won’t mind at all. He saw what you went through today. And—" she added with a sly smile—"would you mind if I sent Andrew up? I think he’s getting bored with the adults.”

“Yes!” I blurted without thinking, immediately regretting the enthusiasm in my voice.

A low rumble came from behind me, and I scowled, glancing over my shoulder to find the guys bristling like a pack of possessive wolves.

“Great,” Luna Ava said, ignoring them entirely. “I’ll send him up with your food. That’ll give you time to shower—and give them time to put their caveman instincts away.”

“Mom!” Ryan groaned.

Luna Ava spun on him with a stern look. “What, Ryan?”

When she used his full name, we all stifled laughs.

“You boys have been acting crazy. She is not some tree for you to mark every time another male so much as breathes near her. Save that energy for your mates—Goddess help them.”

With that, she disappeared toward the kitchen.

Kylie and I burst out laughing and ran upstairs before the guys could argue.

“You really kicked ass today,” Kylie said as we reached my room. “Some of those other contenders went down so fast, it was embarrassing.”

I smiled as I headed into the bathroom. “Yeah, it felt... good, you know? To finally go all in without holding back.”

“You were amazing,” she called as I showered. “Seriously, it was so clear who’s put in the work and who hasn’t. You’ve earned this.”

I emerged from the shower, clean and exhausted, and we flopped onto my bed to chat while I got dressed in comfortable clothes. I told Kylie about the chaos on the field, and she filled in the gaps from her vantage point in the stands.

“I can’t believe it went on for five hours,” I groaned. “I’ve trained that long before, but this was different. Having to trust complete strangers with zero communication was intense.”

Kylie grinned. “Of course, you loved it. You got to be fully you—no holding back.”

Before I could respond, there was a knock at the door.

“You ladies decent? I’m coming in either way,” Devin called, flinging the door open before we could answer.

He flopped onto my bed, grinning. “So, what’s the gossip? Is it me? Tell me it’s me.”

We both burst out laughing.

“All jokes aside,” Devin said with a smirk, “your fan club needs mediation. Whatever you did out there today has them all acting territorial as hell.”

I rolled my eyes but let him pull me to my feet. Together, we made our way to the media room.

The couches had been rearranged, and a massive spread of food was laid out on the table.

Leo grinned from across the room. “I don’t think Luna Ava likes us anymore. I swear, she only cooks like this for you.”

“This isn’t just for me,” I said, plopping onto the couch and digging in.

Devin snorted. “If it were us, she’d have sent sandwiches—if we were lucky.”

“Andrew, come sit by me,” I called, catching Kylie’s knowing wink. “I want to hear what you thought of the trials—and any tips you have for tomorrow.”

The guys bristled again, but I ignored them. They needed to learn how to share—or at least pretend to.

Andrew hesitated for a moment before settling beside me, keeping a respectful distance. The rest of the group slowly relaxed, and soon we were all laughing and talking like old friends.

By the time we finished eating, the couches were back in their usual ‘U’ shape, and Ryan wasted no time pulling me into the center. I leaned into his side, already drifting off as the movie started.

I didn’t even make it past the opening credits before sleep claimed me.

The next morning, Luna Ava woke me with a tray of steaming breakfast foods.

“Eat quickly, sweet girl,” she said with a smile. “You’ve got an hour before you need to leave for the trials.”

Kylie stirred beside me as I sat up, blinking sleepily.

“How did we get in my room?” I asked, pouring syrup over my pancakes.

Kylie grinned. “You fell asleep on Ryan’s shoulder. They might have fought over who got to carry you to bed, but your brother won in the end.”

I groaned. “Of course they did.”

Kylie just laughed. “You’ve got them wrapped around your finger, girl.”

I smiled into my pancakes, already feeling lighter as we prepared for another long day of trials. Whatever the day held, I knew one thing for sure: with my guys by my side, I could handle anything.